What is the best age for a child to learn a second language?
There's no single magic age. Babies start out able to hear the sounds of every language, and that ability narrows in the second half of the first year, so families who speak two languages can start from birth. Children aged 3 to 6 are still excellent language learners. At any age, the key is live, playful contact with real speakers, not apps or videos.
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Is there a best age?
The research doesn't hand you a cut-off. What it shows is a gradual shift, and one rule that holds at every age: children learn languages from people.
| Age | What the research shows | What works best |
|---|---|---|
| Birth to about 6 months | Babies can tell apart the speech sounds of every language | Speak your languages freely, in parentese, face to face |
| About 6-12 months | Hearing narrows toward the languages around them | Live talk, songs and play in each language you want to keep |
| 1-3 years | Bilingual toddlers hit first words and two-word phrases on a normal schedule | One parent, one language, or one language at home and another outside: pick what you can keep up |
| 3-6 years | Still excellent language learners | A play-based class with a fluent speaker, a sitter or relative, a dual-language program, video calls with a speaker |
So if your family speaks two languages, start now. If you're adding a language, the preschool years are a great time, as long as real people are doing the talking.
Babies start out as "citizens of the world"
Researchers at the University of Washington describe newborns as "citizens of the world." Babies are born able to tell apart the speech sounds of every language. Sometime in the second half of the first year, they start to focus on the sounds of the language around them, and they lose some of their ability to hear differences that matter only in other languages. That narrowing is normal. It's the brain getting efficient at the language it actually needs.
The most famous test of this window used American 9-month-olds and Mandarin Chinese. The babies had twelve 25-minute play sessions over four weeks, about five hours in all, with native Mandarin speakers who read and played with them. Afterward, they could tell apart two Mandarin sounds that English speakers often hear as one. They did about as well as babies in Taiwan who had heard Mandarin at home for 10 months.
A second group got the very same Mandarin, from the same speakers, on a DVD or an audio recording. They learned nothing, and they paid less attention. Our page on whether educational videos teach babies covers this "video deficit."
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Bilingual families: you won't confuse your child
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) says children who learn more than one language develop language skills much as other children do. Using your languages with your child won't confuse them or slow them down.
- Most multilingual children say first words by about age 1 and use two-word phrases by about age 2.
- Mixing languages in one sentence is normal. It's part of learning two languages at once.
- Speak the language you're most comfortable in. Your richest, warmest talk is what builds language, so there's no need to switch to a weaker language "for the child's sake."
- A strong base in one language can help with learning another.
Heritage languages carry grandparents' stories, songs and jokes, and a sense of who your family is. That's worth keeping for its own sake. For worries about late talking in bilingual homes, see does being bilingual cause speech delay.
Adding a language without a bilingual home
If neither parent speaks the language, you can still give your child a good start. The research points to live, playful, regular contact with real speakers.
Good options at ages 3 to 6:
- A play-based class taught by a fluent speaker, where children sing, move and play games in the language.
- A babysitter, au pair or relative who uses the language while they play.
- A dual-language preschool or playgroup.
- Video calls with a grandparent or friend who talks with your child. A responsive person on a screen is very different from a cartoon. See does video chat count as screen time.
- Songs, picture books and rhymes in the language, shared with you.
Less useful on their own: apps, flashcards and shows with nobody to talk back. At best they're a small extra on top of live contact. Pick something you can keep up. A short weekly class your child loves, plus songs at home, beats an intensive program they dread.
A language gift, not a brain hack
You may have read that bilingual children have "better brains" or more self-control. A University of Oslo team pooled 143 comparisons between bilingual and monolingual children, with 583 measurements of executive function. The overall advantage was tiny, a statistical effect of 0.06, close to nothing, with signs that exciting results were more likely to get published. After correcting for that, only a small edge in switching between tasks remained.
Children who speak two languages get something better and more certain: they speak two languages. Teach a second language because it's a real skill, a bridge to family, and a door to other people and places.
When to check your child's speech
Some children do have speech or language problems. Those show up in all their languages, not just one. When you count your child's words, count every language together: "agua" and "water" are both words.
A common rule of thumb: fewer than 50 words and no two-word combinations by 24 months, or not trying to say three words by 18 months, is worth mentioning at the next checkup. Ask for a hearing test and a speech-language evaluation. If your child loses words or skills she used to have, in any language, call your doctor now.
Do this
- If you speak another language, use it with your child every day, in whatever way feels most natural.
- Find one live, play-based option for a new language: a class, a sitter, a playgroup or video calls with a speaker.
- Learn three songs or nursery rhymes in the language and sing them together.
- Count your child's words across all languages before any speech check.
- Skip apps and shows as the main teacher; use them only as a small extra.
When to ask your doctor
Check with your doctor or midwife first if…
- Your 18-month-old isn't trying to say 3 words (counting all languages): mention it at the next checkup
- Your 2-year-old has fewer than 50 words or no two-word phrases across all languages
- Speech problems show up in every language your child uses: ask about a speech-language pathologist and a hearing test
Call your doctor now if…
- Your child loses words she used to say, in any language
- Your child stops babbling or stops making eye contact
This page is general information, not medical advice. Every pregnancy and every child is different. Ask your doctor, midwife or pediatrician before changing supplements, diet or care.
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In the book: Chapter 25: Second Languages, Music Lessons and "Gifted" Programs
The chapter sorts the extras into what research supports, what's lovely but optional and what's mostly sales, with a decision table you can hold any language class up against.
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People also ask
Will learning two languages confuse my child or delay speech?
No. ASHA says children learning more than one language develop language skills much as other children do. Most say first words by about 1 and two-word phrases by about 2. Mixing languages in one sentence is normal. If there is a real speech problem, it shows up in all languages, so count words across every language.
Can my child learn a language from an app or TV?
Not much on their own. In a University of Washington study, 9-month-olds learned Mandarin sounds from a live speaker but nothing from the same lessons on DVD or audio. Apps and shows can be a small extra. Live contact, including video calls with a responsive speaker, is what does the teaching.
Is it too late to start a second language at 5?
No. The early window for hearing every speech sound narrows in the first year, but children aged 3 to 6 are still excellent language learners. Choose a play-based class with a fluent speaker, a sitter or relative who speaks it, or a dual-language program, and keep it fun so your child sticks with it.
Do bilingual kids have better executive function?
The best evidence says the advantage is close to zero. A University of Oslo review of 143 comparisons found an overall effect of 0.06, with only a small edge in task switching after correcting for publication bias. Raise a bilingual child for the language, the family and the culture. Those are reasons enough.